Social media is being used increasingly by businesses for customer service, sales, and communication. Digital platforms enable effective sales methods and worldwide reach, but also carry reputational risks. Companies are in charge of ensuring that their staff, clients, and stakeholders can utilize social media platforms safely.
After having a bad experience with rotten fruits from a retail store, I decided to share my story on social media, mentioning the store's name. The CEO of the store quickly responded, apologized, and dispatched a team to my house with fresh fruits. Their prompt and professional response saved the store's reputation and kept me calm.
Companies must handle social media crises professionally to maintain customer satisfaction and brand reputation. However, not all businesses respond well to social media crises, which harms their business, employees, and stakeholders.
Negative reviews can harm a brand's reputation, so it's critical to identify the source of negative feedback and collect positive feedback. Customers can give reviews on the spur of the moment, and if the company responds slowly, their perception of the brand may be affected. Internal factors, such as employee behaviour, can also result in negative reviews or legal ramifications for the company.
Companies should develop holistic social media policies for brands and employees. These policies should outline the company's expectations for responsible social media behaviour, such as the types of content that can be shared, how to handle negative comments, and how to avoid conflicts of interest. Such policies protect businesses from public relations disasters, legal and regulatory issues, and inconsistent brand activities.
Employees and brands must remember that anything posted online, including social media, is permanent and can be traced back to its source. The brand is responsible for creating and implementing a social media policy to ensure the safety and security of its employees, customers, and stakeholders on social media platforms.
The policy should clearly define responsibilities and the consequences for failing to follow the guidelines. Furthermore, businesses should provide regular training and updates to their employees to ensure that they are aware of any policy changes and understand the importance of maintaining a positive brand image on social media.
To summarize, it is the collective responsibility of the company, brand, employees, customers, and stakeholders to ensure the success of social media platforms by avoiding disrespectful and contentious conversations. Brands and employees should stay awry from comments on religion, politics, diversity, sharing false information, pornography, sarcasm, discrimination, sexual harassment, and sharing of company/client secrets. It is best to manage disagreements professionally and avoid engaging in ferocious battles to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
Before posting or commenting on social media, think, use common sense, and respect other people's opinions and principles. Employees and brands must follow the same rules and respect shown in the real world when using social media. Interactions with customers should adhere to the company's code of conduct, which includes respect for all cultures, beliefs, and genders. Violating a company's code of conduct is unprofessional and can result in legal consequences for the individual.
Employees must also know the dangers of mixing personal and professional social media accounts. It is always wise to keep personal social media accounts private and share personal information sparingly.
Employees must avoid posting controversial content or sensitive company information on their social media accounts. Dressing appropriately and adhering to brand guidelines can help the company's reputation on social media platforms. Employees and brands must be aware of social media's nature and act responsibly to protect the organization's reputation.
But the question remains on what principles the company will prepare the policies? Like Intel Social Media Guideline, we can follow three engagement rules in social media. "Think," "Respect," and "Protect" (TRP) are these three rules.
These are simple and everyday words, but if anyone wants to follow this, they need to think about what they are posting; while posting, have respect for others, and protect the company.
By adhering to these principles, employees, and brands can avoid conflicts and maintain a positive image on social media. It's also worth noting that adhering to these principles can benefit employees personally by encouraging responsible social media use and respectful communication.
To conclude, organizations and employees must have a social media policy and guidelines to manage their presence on digital platforms properly. Companies that are qualified to track and respond to media are required to track and respond to media. Setting clear objectives is critical for success in the digital arena, and the digital team should report to the brand team.
Finally, the social media policy should put brands and employees at ease when using social media and offer advice on avoiding pitfalls. It is essential to stay up to date regarding social media policies, as we live in an age of digitization, and strictly adhere to them to ensure smooth and effective social media management.
Md Raziuddin is the Assistant Vice President and Head of Brand Marketing and Communications at LankaBangla Finance Limited
